Today we commemorate the institution of the holy priesthood and the blessed Eucharist. In this year dedicated to the priest, I would like to wish a very happy and special feast, and to show my heartfelt appreciation to priests everywhere, especially those whom God chose throughout my life for me as teachers, guides, educators, consolers, models and ministers of the holy sacraments. I thank the priests for their day to day dedication at the altar, in the confessional, during their visits to the sick, the prisoners, the dying - sometimes in the middle of the night. Perhaps, a better tribute to priests is this article I once read, penned by an anonymous writer in a US parish magazine, entitled What Is A Priest?
"Priests are mystery men. They come in assorted sizes, ages, weights and collars. They are found everywhere - speeding along, perspiring over, laughing with, preaching to, teaching about, pardoning for and playing football or baseball with. Little children run to them; teenagers marvel at them; non-Catholics stare at them; and Mary watches over them.
"A priest is Prudence in a T-shirt; Fortitude with a breviary in his hand; Justice on a ball diamond; and Temperance at any party. He is Faith with a blueprint; Hope with a sense of humour; and Charity born of understanding.
"A priest can be anything from a contemplative monk in a monastery to a magazine editor on Wall Street; from a labour mediator to a TV personality; from a student to a professor. Formerly known as the boy-around-the-corner, he's a member of each family, yet belongs to none. He penetrates secrets, shares sorrows, heals wounds. He has the thirst of a child, the kindness of a best friend, the sterness of a top-sergeant, the daring of a tight-rope walker, the authority of an encyclopaedia, and the versatility of a commando.
"A priest is a humble creature - a mystifying worker at all professions. His hours are the longest; his salary the smallest; his Boss the best. He likes good pastors, the smiles of children, a good sermon, a home-cooked meal, and the name 'Father'.
"A priest is all things to all men in the sight of God. He may be misquoted, mistaken, and misunderstood, but he'll always forgive - because he is a mediator, a peace-maker, a go-between heaven and earth. It's no wonder God loves him. He's a man standing at the altar, clothed in holy clothes, who, while being aware of his own nothingness, speaks to God for us and to us for God. And although his greatest act is to offer sacrifice, his most consoling thing is to say to me, 'Go in peace - your sins are forgiven'."